The 'Special One' inspects Sir Alex's ear
Acccording to a report in the Daily Mail Real Madrid coach and allround ‘Special One’ Jose Mourinho will have to choose between waiting for Sir Alex to retire or taking over at Manchester City.
Mourinho is reportedly being lined up as a possible replacement for Roberto Mancini who hasn’t convinced everyone at the club he’s the right man to turn City into champions,
The Mail notes:
“The man who turned Chelsea into Premier League champions will be offered a £10million-a-year deal to take charge at Eastlands and will have to choose between staying at Real Madrid while waiting for Ferguson to retire or joining City and going head-to-head with his old friend and rival.
“That the Scot intends to stay on for at least another year will be welcome news at Old Trafford but it could mean United missing out on a manager who is among the most qualified to succeed him.
“One Premier League source said: ‘Jose has learned that Ferguson has no intention of retiring in the foreseeable future.’
“Mourinho is keen to return to the Premier League sooner rather than later after the breakdown of his relationship with Madrid president Florentino Perez and director general Jorge Valdano.
“With La Liga success unlikely this season, there is still plenty for him to achieve at Real, but he could yet go out on a high in the Champions League.
“City will make a convincing case for him to take over from Mancini, with money to spend and a golden legacy to build.”
Although you’ve always got to take any story on United with a pinch of salt, unlike some this one does seem to make a lot of sense.
Mourinho is one of the first names many Reds suggest as a worthy successor to Fergie as his triumphs at Porto, Chelsea and Internazionale have proven.
It may seem a tad unfair for the vultures to be cricling above Mancini as he’s arguably doing the exact job he was employed to do.
Wit a top four finish well within City’s grasp plus a first trip to Wembley since the Division Two play-off of 1999 he’s hardly having a ‘mare.
Yet you can’t help but feeling he’s not quite stamped his authority on the job. Missing out on the Champions League last season was a disappointment, and really shouldn’t have happened. Beating Spurs at home would have ensured it didn’t but thanks to a Peter Crouch goal it was the Londoners who are now enjoying a terrific European adventure.
Meanwhile Mancini’s side have crashed out of the fairly irrelevant Europa league and there only hope of silverware is the FA Cup.
Mancini’s had problems keeping his troops in check with “that chap from Argentina” spitting his dummy out over being substituted and the lovable genius Mario Balotelli giving his boss one headache after another.
A lot may ride on the semi-final against United, if Mancini can beat United his star will be in the stratosphere at Eastlands and his job guaranteed for another season at least.
Lose and he may lose the support of the fans, who could find the double blow of waiting yet another year for a trophy and getting beaten by their rivals too much to take.
Personally I’d love to see Mourinho at Old Trafford bu not for another two or even three years. I think Fergie’s not as near to retirement as some in the media have suggested and wouldn’t want to see the boss step down prematurely just to make way for Mourinho- although that’s highly unlikely.
If United can get Mourinho when the time is right then I’m all for it, but if he chooses to join the ‘noisy neighbours’ rather than the biggest club in the world, then they’re welcome to him.
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justin mottershead, how are you qualified, to refer to city as noisy neighbours,you cheeky prick.
Chelsea are likely to be interested. Ancelotti’s days are numbered and Jose would rather live in London than Manchester. Jose said recently he loves Chelsea and would enjoy a return to London.
looks like if he had to make a choice it would be beween chelski and utd, the only way he would come to my beloved city is if we make the champions league and offer him crazy money for himself and for transfers.
can’t blame him really, both united and chelski are, at the moment, in front of city , but soon it will all change, maybe he will gamble on the future, hope so …..